It was around 9, 10am when I woke up and there on one of our local Tv stations was breaking news about a bomb blast that had happened in Nairobi. At first the sounds were very slight, until there was a bigger, louder sound. BOOM!! I remember seeing men and women running away from the scene, screaming and bleeding at the same time.
What was to be a normal day for me and us Kenyans turned out to be bloody and just confused. I was nine years old when that happened. Seeing that I was just home means we must have closed school and I was looking forward to binge watching cartoons and movies the whole day. All that changed for me and thousand of other people.
But why would such a thing happen to us? What did we do to deserve such inhumane treatment? Why would people treat us with such disrespect? So many questions were running through so many people’s minds. I thought humanity cared.
There are some wounds that just never heal. If they do scars are left and thinking about it just tends to open up the wounds, no matter how long it has been. Forgetting is simply impossible. Forgiving? I am not sure about that either.
Our country, Kenya, went through a period of trials, tribulations and mixed emotions. I saw Kenyans coming together to help those who were in need. Despite all that was going on those who were weak were strengthened. Those who were helpless found help. Those who were hopeless somehow found hope.
We received assistance from Israel and they helped rescue those who were caught up in the building after it came crashing down. Re-living those memories is such a painful affair. Every time TV stations would bring up names of those who perished in the bomb attack I would get carried away, and feel emotional, trying to imagine how the families who lost their loved ones feel. It is a tough journey. A journey we never thought as a country we would have to walk through.
Every year when even the survivors would be interviewed and they wouldtalk about the horrific experience it sounded so surreal, like we really are re-living the moment.
My heart really does go out to the families that got affected.
Seeing that I am now older, I wonder if we have forgotten. Have we just decided to let it be? Have the Kenyans who suffered healed now? Have we as a country, as a people forgiven those who hurt us? Are we still angry? Living one day at a time is what gets us through.
I know even as we were having such trials God never left us. He is always here. He assured us that He would never leave.
As we re-live this moment, may we receive our healing, comfort and strength. Many years have passed but let us keep praying for each other because we went through a hard time and we still need grace.
